Ubiquitous connectivity has become the new norm of life—at least in the developed countries where the average level of Internet penetration is over 80%. In a new annual Global Digital Landscape study aimed to explore new digital habits and behaviours, the Nielsen team has surveyed 30,000 adults from 60 countries throughout Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

Interestingly, 76% of them said they were connected 24/7 everywhere and they enjoyed that freedom; 69% were sure that personal communication would be gradually replaced with digital.

Viewing video is the most popular type of content consumption globally: 55% of the respondents say that video programs are an important part of their life. Moreover, 65% prefer to watch video programming live (63%— on the big screen).

Multi-channel and cross-platform content viewing capabilities spurred on a new media phenomenon — second-screen viewing. According to the survey, 48% engage with social media and 58% browse the Internet while watching live TV shows; 49% watch video programs more if they have social tie-in. These figures, however, vary by region.

Pic.: percentage of second-screen users by region

Regarding devices, regular or smart TV is still predominant for all types of video programming content except for short-form videos. However, the data varies by region. For example, the percentage of in-home video viewing from mobile is higher in Africa and the Middle East (41%), Asia-Pacific (40%) and Latin America (38%), than in the developed regions: Europe (24%) and North America (22%).

Pic.: global usage of different devices for video programs viewing

Viewing preferences largely vary depending on the age group of the respondents.

Pic.: global viewing preferences by devices and age groups

To see the full report The Nielsen Global Digital Landscape Survey 2015, including by-country figures, please download it here.